


Proud of You

by gemhue



Category: The Adventure Zone (Podcast)
Genre: Comedy, Emotions, Family, Fluff, Gen, Swearing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-27
Updated: 2017-11-14
Packaged: 2018-12-20 10:19:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 6,025
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11918811
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gemhue/pseuds/gemhue
Summary: Magnus and Taako escort Angus to school.





	1. Neverwinter Bound

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The journey begins.

Try as they might to reach him, Merle simply wouldn't answer his stone. He probably had the damn thing on silent, like always. You'd think he'd have figured out how to work it by now, but old men are often set in their ways and resistant to change. At least they could take comfort in the fact that Merle was probably somewhere out in the wilderness struggling to keep a troop of rowdy tweens in check.

Regardless, that left Taako and Magnus to handle this particular task on their own, which in their naivety they believed to be sufficient. Kravitz, bless him, would have helped as well if he weren't so busy assisting his queen with reapings and training Lup and Barry. After all, the many deaths after the Day of Story and Song left behind a surplus of lonely and desperate people willing to turn to necromancy to see their loved ones again.

"Sirs, you know, it really wasn't necessary for you to come," a small voice interrupted the previous silence. "I'm more than capable of traveling on my own and I really don't have so many things that I would need help carrying them."

Magnus, of course, laughed the concern away with his deep and hearty chuckle. "Don't be ridiculous, little man! We're coming to support you, not because we think you need us for junk like that!" Despite his words, Magnus shifted the large duffel bag on his shoulder that was filled to bursting with Angus' fancy suits.

"Well, Magnus may be coming to support you, I guess, but Taako's actually just here to scope out the ol' competition," the elf's drawl was noncommittal. "Ren's plans for my Amazing School of Magic are good but there's always room for improvement, as I always say. Well, about other people's plans, I mean. My plans are always perfect, of course."

"Of course, sir," Angus agreed readily, nodding his head in emphasis.

When Magnus was done rolling his eyes hard enough to give himself a headache, he asked, "Wasn't it your idea to call it 'Taako's Amazing School of Magic?'"

"Yes, whats wrong with that? It's a fantastic name," Taako defended, his hand going to his heart.

"It fucking sucks," Magnus deadpanned.

An affronted gasp later, Taako turned on Angus and demanded, "Ango, you don't think the name I picked out sucks, do you?"

"..."

" _Angus McDonald_ ," the elf urged, bending at the waist slightly to be closer to the boy's height. He knew that he was more intimidating when he could look directly into the kid's eye.

"I think it's great, sir," Angus lied, averting his gaze.

Taako snapped back up to his full height and rounded back onto Magnus. "See? He loves it. You just have poor taste."

"He was under duress, that doesn't count," the burly fighter disagreed. "The name is still shitty. Just change it! Construction hasn't even started yet, you have plenty of time."

Just then, the train lurched to a halt and a loud whistle cut through the air.

Eager for any excuse to change the subject, Angus piped up, "I think we've arrived in Neverwinter, sirs! Let's go ahead and get a move on so we won't be late."


	2. Through the City

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The three continue towards the school.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> im lov ango mcdango so much

The group made their way off the train with varying levels of grace. Magnus had to angle himself in uncomfortable ways to move his bulk through the crowd while Taako seemed to slip between people effortlessly, despite the fact that he also carried one of Angus' bags, albeit a much smaller one. Angus had a bounce in his step as he followed the directions on the piece of parchment that had been mailed to him by the admissions department of Lucas' school. He led the two older men out of the station and through the streets of Neverwinter, dragging his trunk behind him.

"This city sure has bounced back, huh?" Magnus observed, taking in the sights as they walked. There were some structures in the city that had been untouched by the hoards of the Hunger, but there were also many buildings that had to be rebuilt and were standing, new and unfamiliar, in the places of those that had been destroyed.

"Well, Neverwinter has a large population and managed to fight back the Hunger much more successfully than less populous towns," Angus explained. "And the city is filled with plenty of migrants now who fled from areas that were decimated on that day. Most of them are more than happy to aid in the construction efforts, especially since Neverwinter will be needing more housing now that there's been such a great influx in the population."

"Jeez, Ango, he didn't ask you to explain all that fuckin' economic shit," a yawn overtook Taako's face after he spoke. "Are we almost there, boychik? Taako needs a nap."

"Elves don't need sleep, sir," the boy didn't bother looking at Taako, his eyes glancing around and looking for street signs. "It should be right down this next road anyway," he mentioned as he headed off in that direction, Magnus and Taako following closely behind.

Sure enough, once they rounded the corner they could see the grand figure that made up Lucas’ Academy of Arcane Sciences. It was a modern structure with a sleek design that stood out even against Neverwinter’s eclectic array of building styles. The academy was built towards the edge of the city, though not so far that the students would have to go out of their way if they needed to do business in the city proper. Large grassy lawns, which were manicured cleanly, surrounded the academy on all sides. Brick pathways cut through the sprawling greens, on which there were many bustling students, most of whom were dragging trunks towards what must be the dormitory complex.

There was an impressed sounding whistle and then Magnus spoke, “Sure looks like a nice place. I bet you’ll really like it here, Angus.”

“Oh, I’m sure I will, sir!” Already, the kid looked ready to burst of excitement. He was looking around the campus with sparkling eyes and a wide, toothy smile. “I think that building over there’s the dorms. Let’s go get all my stuff moved in.”

“That’s the plan, bubala,” Taako was also looking around the campus, making mental notes about anything he saw that he might want to incorporate into his own school. If he took a few moments during their walk to glance fondly at the boy, neither Magnus nor Angus noticed. The only other times Taako had seen Angus so excited were during those first few magic lessons that they had together on the moon base, when everything was still so new for him. A sharp pang of nostalgia made Taako’s ears droop slightly as he recognized that Angus would no longer be studying magic under his wing. He refused to allow himself to feel the jealousy that he knew could spoil this happy day for Angus, and continued on.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> next chapter might be a couple days or might be tomorrow. we shall see


	3. In the Elevator

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The boys get into elevator drama.

Before long, they arrived at the entrance to the dorms and Angus had to hold the door open so that Magnus could drag everything inside the building. Angus then shuffled quickly over to the front desk where a giant woman was organizing stacks of papers. Angus and the woman had a short discussion that Magnus and Taako couldn’t hear from where they waited on the other side of the room. A few minutes later, Angus bounded towards the duo with a set of keys dangling from one hand.

“Okay, I’m on the third floor so let’s hop in the elevator,” the boy moved to press the button to call for an elevator, but Taako quickly moved his hand to press the button first. Angus looked mildly disappointed, but quickly shook it off.

“He likes to press the buttons,” explained Magnus.

“Everybody likes to press the buttons,” Angus grumbled. “Besides, aren’t you afraid of elevators, Mr. Taako? You usually just levitate yourself up the stairwell. Are you going to ride up with us?”

“You know, Agnes, fighting the Hunger makes elevators seem not quite as bad anymore.” The elf hadn’t even been thinking about it, to be honest. Maybe he was more frazzled than he realized.

A ping signaled the elevator’s arrival and the trio piled into it, along with a small family of dwarves who were chatting amongst themselves. The teenage dwarf girl pressed the button for the 7th floor and Taako reached towards the button for the 3rd, but Magnus noticed and caught his arm, allowing Angus to press it. The boy pressed it slowly, his eyes locked with Taako’s.

“You’re dead to me,” Taako huffed, “both of you are dead to me.” Spitefully, the wizard cast a quick Mage Hand, which slid down the number pad, pressing every button, before disappearing. The family of dwarves looked uncomfortable.

“Taako, how can someone as old as you still be able to act exactly like a five year old?” Magnus was incredulous.

“I have many talents, big guy,” Taako’s face was that of a cat who had just knocked over a glass of water onto the floor, and was watching its owner clean the mess.

The sliding doors closed and they began moving upwards. There was another ping at the second floor, and the dwarves scurried out, presumably to climb the stairs the rest of the way up to the seventh floor. Taako took the chance to stretch out his arms.

“You know I’m going to have to live here, right, Mr. Taako? I think you gave that dwarf girl a very bad impression of us.” Angus looked concerned as his hands twisted his fancy little lapels nervously. “I really want the other students here to like me…”

“If your bratty classmates can’t appreciate your family’s sense of humor then they probably wouldn’t make very good friends for you anyway,” Taako felt a little bad, hearing the hurt voice coming from Angus, but he remained stubborn in his aloofness.

“‘My family,’ sir?” Angus repeated in a questioning tone, his lips quirking upwards.

“I, uh,” Taako paused, the gears in his head scrolling back to remember his own words, “I didn’t say—”

“You did!” Magnus joined, “I heard that too.”

One more ping, and they were at the third floor. Taako rushed out of the elevator, picking a random hallway and speed-walking down it.

Behind him, Angus called, “Sir, it’s this other way! Please don’t run off! You have one of my bags and I still need to unpack it!” Magnus could be heard laughing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> fall semester starts tomorrow so updates might get less frequent but im not abandoning it dw


	4. Down the Hallway

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Long hallways are full of emotional baggage.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this one got a little more emotional than i had planned? i guess i cant write anything without dumping a healthy dose of that in

Angus gave a weary sigh and turned to Magnus, “Let’s go find my room, I guess. I’m sure Taako will show back up eventually.”

“You know he will, kiddo,” Magnus agreed, nodding. The two started walking in the direction opposite of the way Taako had fled. The hallway was long and there were several gatherings of students and their families blocking off sections. During one moment, when they were stalled by a half-orc trying to slot a large trunk through a doorway, Magnus glanced over at Angus and grinned, “I know it doesn’t seem like it sometimes, but he really does care about you a lot.”

“Oh, don’t worry,” the boy assured, “I know that. I know that everybody from the Bureau cares about me, and that makes me really happy. You all teach me cool stuff and help me out whenever I need it…”

“But?” Magnus queried, giving a patient look.

“But I wish Taako wouldn’t act like he’s above caring for anyone but himself. I know he does it because he doesn’t want to get hurt - I _am_ the world’s greatest detective, after all - but shouldn’t he know by now that none of us are going to abandon him? We saved the world together!” The longer he spoke, the more frustrated he sounded. “He should be able to let himself open up to the people who care about him. He deserves to just let himself be loved.”

Angus looked up at Magnus, and had never seen such a fond and gentle expression on the man’s face. “Letting yourself be loved can be one of the hardest things you ever do, little buddy,” Magnus brought a hand up to squeeze Angus’s shoulder. “It can be especially hard for someone who has been hurt badly by someone they love before. The only thing you can do to help someone like that to heal is to be there for them. Hell, even then the hurt might never really go away,” the man’s eyes were distant now, Angus noticed, but then he looked back at the boy and asked, “That won’t stop us from trying, will it, Angus?”

“No, sir,” Angus vowed. “We’ll be there for him.”

\---

Taako hadn’t actually booked it out of the elevator. He hates running, when he doesn’t have to. Instead, he cast a quick Mislead, which turned his body invisible and created a illusionary copy of himself. The copy had been the one to run off, and was probably still running around somewhere, as far as Taako knew. The important thing was that Magnus and Angus had seemed not to notice his trick in their amusement.

Instead of running, he stealthily shadowed Magnus and Angus as they made their way in the direction of the dorm room. Taako stayed just a few feet behind, dodging frazzled teens and their exhausted parents as they scrambled about in the hallways. He was doing a better job of avoiding the obstacles than Magnus was; the poor man kept bumping into people and having to apologize quickly. Taako smiled, knowing that Magnus was really the sneaky one and could have probably made his way through the hall completely unseen and unheard if not for all the extra weight he carried.

At a roadblock of sorts, Taako overheard Magnus start up a conversation with Angus. The elf’s ears only perked once he realized that they were talking about him. _I’ve only been out of their sight for a few minutes, are they already gossiping about me? I know I’m a hot topic but this is ridiculous_ , Taako wondered, as he started to pay attention.

He listened to Angus as he voiced his concerns. He listened to Magnus as he gave his advice. Taako felt a deep unwanted pit form in his chest.

_Jeez, they really aren’t playing around, huh_ , the elf realized, his ears pinned back and his breathing starting to go heavy, but he tried to shake himself out of it. _Whatever, it’s not my fault if they feel like they have to fix me. I’m not even broken,_ he scoffed at the idea internally.

Images flashed through his mind quickly at that - images of his and Lup’s irritated parents, of Lucretia’s pained but steadfast expression, of Sazed’s jealous glare, and of Edward and Lydia’s sadistic smirks. Taako was taken aback by that. _Those people don't matter to me! None of that junk matters to me! It's all in the past and I don't care about it anymore_ , he knew it would be difficult to truly convince himself of that.

A tired sigh, then, and Taako hoped it wasn't loud enough to give him away. He continued trying to calm himself down, _I live in the present and I don't let any of that heavy shit weigh me down. I have money and a house and a brand! Everybody loves me, in every plane of existence! What matters to me is_ …

Taako let himself think for barely a second before more images came, this time accompanied by a feeling so warm that it made his throat tighten and burn. These images were of Lup, of Kravitz, of Magnus and Merle, and even of Angus. _What matters to me is them_ , he admitted, with a quiet finality within his own mind. He then felt a weight that he didn’t know he carried leave his shoulders. Taako felt so light in that moment that he stole a quick glance at his feet to make sure that he hadn’t accidentally levitated himself.

Though still invisible, the wizard smiled tearily up at Magnus and Angus, who had just started to move further down the hall now the the half-orc managed to push his trunk into the room. He stumbled behind, slower now, and with that, Taako decided, _I have to try to be better for them_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> im gonna try to get this wrapped up in like another chapter or two. especially since its the second day of the semester and im already so done


	5. Dorm Decor

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Finally in the dorm, and now the real fun begins.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> its been a while since i updated so this chapter is a bit longer than the others. and its not quite the last one yet. i cant seem to wrap it up and i still have a few more ideas to fit in

They made it to the door of Angus’ dorm without any further interruption. Angus took a steadying breath to prepare himself and slid the key into the lock, twisting it open. The door swung inward with the motion, revealing the small room within. Two lofted beds framed the right and left sides of the room. Beneath each bed was a study space with a desk, chair, and a set of drawers off to the side. It seemed that Angus's roommate had not yet arrived.

“It’s kind of plain right now, but I’m sure we can make it feel nice and homey,” Magnus assured Angus when he saw that the kid was just staring into the room.

“No— Well, I mean, yes, I’d like that,” he shook his head. “But it’s just that this feels real now, ya know?” Angus walked into the room, taking it all in, while Magnus trailed in behind him, not bothering to close the door. “I’m going to be living here and studying here and eating here and making friends here and I know I’ll have so much fun but—” He turned to Magnus, who was looking at him with a hint of concern, and his voice got suddenly thicker, though he didn’t mean for it to. “But I’ll miss you, sir.” Angus glanced away then, but not a second later, Magnus’s huge arms had encircled him and were holding on tightly.

“God, kid, you’ve really put my heart through the ringer today. I don’t know how much more of this I can take,” Magnus grinned as he attempted to lighten the conversation a bit, and managed to pull a breathy chuckle from Angus.

“Sorry about that!” Angus didn’t sound very sorry at all. “There’s really no helping it, though. Did you know that they’ve done studies that have shown moving to be one of the most stressful events in life? Emotional moves just can’t be avoided very easily, it seems.”

“I can certainly believe that,” Magnus huffed. He still had the boy in his embrace and didn’t feel ready to let him go quite yet, so he just tightened it. “I’m going to miss you so much, Angus.”

\---

Taako decided that the two idiots had been deprived of his company for long enough. He had given them their chance to be sappy, but he was getting too excited about all the interior decorating he could be doing in Angus’ dorm. Still in the hallway outside the room, Taako allowed his spell to drop. He could be sure that he was visible again if the frightened gasp of the halfling who had previously been loitering around uselessly was anything to go by.

“Always expect the unexpected,” Taako advised the halfling before sauntering through the open doorway to Angus’ room, where Magnus and Angus were still in an embrace. “Alright, boys, if you two are done blubbering on each other, we have some serious business to get down to.”

“Taako!” Angus exclaimed happily, jumping out of Magnus’ arms and bounding towards the elf. “Did you have any trouble finding us, sir?”

“Not at all, bubala,” Taako assured. “Now, are we gonna get started on this shit or what?”

“Of course!” Angus nodded enthusiastically up at the wizard. “You have the bag with my bedding in it, so could you make the bed for me?”

“You’ve got it,” Taako agreed with a shrug, climbing up the ladder to start on the bed. Angus hoped he wouldn’t do anything too drastic up there.

“Thanks!” The boy called. “And Magnus,” Angus turned to the fighter, who was standing at attention. “You’ve got the bag with my clothes, so could you put those into the drawers, please?”

“Will do,” Magnus saluted, and turned to do as he was told. The clothing had gotten crumpled on the journey, so he needed to refold most of it.

“My trunk has all of my personal belongings and school supplies so I guess I’ll just arrange everything how I want it on the desk and this shelf...” Angus decided out loud, moving to open the trunk he had been dragging.

The lid popped open and he was now faced with all the objects he had been acquiring throughout the past few years. He had arrived at the Bureau with nothing but a few books, his detective supplies, some clothes, and his crossbow, but now had so much more that had been gifted to him by his good friends.

First, Angus grabbed his books - both novels and textbooks - and arranged them neatly on the shelf between the top of the desk and the bottom of the bed. They refused to stand upright on their own, so Angus grabbed two carved wooden ducks and used them as bookends. The duck on the right was slightly bigger than the other, but Angus still thought that the look gave off a certain charm. He then took his small satchel of sleuthing tools and hung it on one of the bedposts, which he had to climb up the ladder to the bed in order to reach. Taako did not even glance at him, as he was frustratedly trying to make the fitted sheet adhere to each corner without snapping back up. Angus shook his head and slid back down the ladder.

His hand crossbow and the dagger given to him by Magnus were next - he hadn’t been able to sneak his weapons onto the train this time, so he had to pack them with the rest of his things. Instead of putting them in his room somewhere, he simply slid each weapon into their proper holsters. The handbow went into the holster on his left hip, and the dagger went into the one on his left forearm. He felt more comfortable with their weight on his body, but he still lacked a wand and would need to grab one before classes started.

Angus pulled framed pictures out of the trunk, then, and gave each a cursory glance before deciding how to arrange them. His favorite picture - the one taken of everyone at the Bureau during the first Candlenights after the day of Story and Song - was propped up on his desk where he could see it easily. Everyone looked so happy and relieved in that picture; it was the kind of relief that could only be achieved by completing a mission that required years of hard work and dedication to a cause.

The next - one that showed just Angus and the Tres Horny Boys smiling together - was placed slightly behind the first, but to the side enough that it could also be seen. The four of them had gone on a trip to the beach together and were darkened by the sun, giving them a vibrant vitality.

An older picture of Angus’ family was the last one. His moms were both smiling gently - his Mama held him while his Mommy’s arms wrapped around them both. He couldn’t have been more than a year or two old. Several of his grandparents stood behind them, and a couple of his aunts and uncles could be seen off to the side. Angus missed them all dearly. He decided to put this one on the last available space on the shelf, next to the bigger duck, so that he could look up at it when he needed to.

Taako could be heard cursing and casting spells up on the bed. Angus worriedly looked up, but couldn’t see anything from his vantage point. “Sir, you’re not breaking anything up there, are you?”

“Of course no— Aha!” A celebratory whoop signaled some sort of achievement, but moments later, a telltale _snap_ whipped through the room and Taako let out an anguished cry. “How the _fuck_ is this supposed to work?” He sounded rather distressed.

“Hold on, sir, I’ll come up there and help you!” Angus scurried up the ladder and prepared himself for what he knew would be the most difficult task of the day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> im not gonna update for a bit probably. ive got some essays to write and those sadly take priority so i dont fail college and become even more of a family disgrace
> 
> but oh i did go through some of the previous chapters and fix a few mistakes and add a few minor details. if yall ever see any mistakes or whatnot just let me know
> 
> see yall next time


	6. As My Own

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Taako and Angus have a chat.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> bet yall fuckers forgot about this one. sorry its been a while but schools been kicking my ass

The bed was eventually made. A burn on the sheets from one of Taako’s fireballs was covered by a pillow, but the smell of singed fabric still lingered. Everything else was unpacked and slotted into its place, although Angus thought he might shuffle things around a bit to see what he liked best. Taako, ruffled by the experience, slid down the ladder with as much dignity as he could muster, but both Angus and Magnus still grinned amusedly. The elf flipped them off.

“That’s not very kind, Taako,” Angus admonished.

“You’ve gotta admit, it’s pretty funny that you can’t even make a bed,” Magnus ribbed. “Greatest wizard of our time, stumped by some sheets.”

At that, Angus giggled, but tried to cover it behind his hands. The wizard gave him a cold side-eye before angling his gaze at Magnus.

“Hey, Maggie?” Taako’s voice was syrupy sweet. “Go fuck yourself, big fella.” There was no real malice behind the words, but he looked mildly annoyed as he defended, “It’s not like I’ve ever had to learn. I always managed to convince other people to do that shit for me.”

“I really appreciate you trying anyway, Taako,” Angus said earnestly.

“Yeah, well,” Taako wanted to continue, _I just wanted to do something for you since I don’t do nearly enough_. That was a lot more sincere than he was ready for yet, especially with more than one person as witness. Taako needed to take baby steps with this, which gave him an idea. He looked up at Magnus, “Mango, do you think you could give me a minute with this little twerp?” It was more of a directive than a question, but Magnus just shrugged his wide shoulders and stepped out of the room, closing the door behind him.

“Uh, did you want to talk to me about something, sir?” The boy detective looked mildly concerned, as if he expected some sort of reprimand.

“Easy, kid, it’s nothing to get your panties twisted over,” Taako reassured.

“I don’t… Nevermind,” Angus sighed.

“Excellent! So, uh, Ango,” the elf started, beggining to feel uneasy about broaching the subject. Angus still looked rather worried, but now the worry was more for Taako. “You know I’m often, uh, rather _abrasive_ , I suppose you could call it.”

“Rude and obnoxious, you mean?” The boy offered, a small smile starting on his face.

“No, you shit,” Taako snipped, but he too began grinning playfully, and some of the tension left the situation. “I meant exactly what I said. But anyway, I realize that my personality can be challenging, and that perhaps my affection is not as apparent as it should be.”

“You don’t have to say it outright, sir,” Angus said softly, stepping closer to Taako. “I know that you care about me; I’m pretty good at finding clues, after all.”

Taako became frustrated suddenly and snapped, “You shouldn’t have to look for clues that people care about you, Angus!” The boy looked taken aback, and Taako’s chest felt tight with guilt. Softer now, he apologized, “Ah, I’m sorry for raising my voice, boychik.” Taako collected himself, taking a moment to think of what he wanted to say, and continued, “Listen, I don’t want to draw this out into a long, emotional speech, but I think I might have to.”

“I’m all ears, sir,” Angus assured. “Take your time.”

“Alright, you asked for it,” Taako sighed. “It’s just… I never really thought of myself as someone who would want to have a family of my own. For so long it was just me and Lup, and that was all I needed. After Lucretia took my memories of her, I was too scared to trust anybody at all. It wasn’t until I reunited with Magnus and Merle that I believed I could even have friends.”

“That sounds very lonely, sir,” Angus was saddened by Taako’s words and his heart ached for the elf.

“I’m not gonna lie and say it was great,” he shrugged. Steeling himself with a deep breath, Taako went on, “I’m telling you this because I need you to know that you’re important to me. When I started training you, I grew fonder of you with every single lesson. You’re such a bright kid, and you picked things up so quickly. I’m sorry that I acted like you were just an annoyance most of the time.”

Angus grabbed onto the front of Taako’s robes, pulling himself closer. His head was bowed, but when he looked up at Taako, the man noticed wetness gathering in the boy’s eyes. “It’s okay, Taako. It never really bothered me much.”

“It bothers me _now_ ,” the wizard emphasized. “Now that I think of you as…”

“As what?” Angus prompted, looking desperate and hopeful.

“As my own,” Taako admitted, glancing upwards to prevent any tears from escaping. There was a beat before he heard a hiccuping sob, which he hesitantly looked down at. Angus had buried his face in Taako’s chest and was sniffling softly into his robes. The elf tentatively raised his arms to soothe the boy, one hand going to rub at his back and the other to tangle in his curly hair.

“Do you—,” a sniffle interrupted his words, “—really mean that?”

“I wouldn't lie about something like this, Angus,” the wizard vowed, his voice uncharacteristically sincere.

“I love you,” Angus said, his words muffled by Taako’s robes, but still distinguishable enough.

“I, uh,” Taako’s voice halted unsurely, “love you too, kid.” His arms tightened around Angus protectively. “Don’t ever doubt that, okay?”

“I won’t, sir,” Angus said, smiling contentedly as he spoke.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> theres probably gonna be one more chapter and possibly an epiloge but idk yet


	7. Proud of You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Taako and Magnus say goodbye.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> wow its been a fuckin minute huh. sorry about the wait im just awful

“Well, that was cathartic,” Angus wiped the corner of his eye. “It’s getting kinda late in the afternoon, though. I still need to go into town and get a new wand before the stores close.”

“Oh!” The man’s eyes went wide suddenly and his hands dived into his robes, searching for something in the folds of the fabric. “I can’t believe I almost forgot…” He fished out a box about the size of Angus’ forearm and presented it to the kid with a smile. “I knew you’d be needing one, so I went ahead and grabbed you a goodie. It takes some skill to search out a really nice wand, and I happen to be great at it,” he winked and handed the box over.

Mouth agape, Angus took the box and admired it reverently.

Rolling his eyes impatiently, Taako prodded, “Don’t look so impressed before you’ve even opened it, kid!”

“Right,” the boy nodded, lifting the lid from the box. Inside was a pristine silver wand, inlaid with clear crystals. Delicate, flowery designs decorated the base and crept like ivy towards the tip. “It’s beautiful,” Angus observed in amazement, and Taako looked smug.

“Of course it is! I wouldn’t just grab you some shitty stick off the ground,” he bragged confidently.

“Well, I guess that’s really everything I need for school…” Even as Angus spoke, Taako could see the kid’s mind going through checklists. The boy absentmindedly walked over to the door and opened it, sticking his head out to check for Magnus. When he spotted the hulking figure a few feet down the hallway, Angus called, “Magnus, sir, could you come back in here?”

The fighter pushed himself off the wall that he had been leaning against and made his way back into Angus’ dorm. “You two get everything settled?” He looked back and forth between Angus and Taako, concern obvious in his eyes.

“Yeah, hombre, I just had to make sure this kid knows not to expect any of his stuffy professors to be as great at teaching as I am,” Taako lied blithely. Magnus was completely unconvinced, but let it slide.

Angus cleared his throat and started speaking to the two men, “I want to thank you both for coming all the way out to Neverwinter to make sure I got settled in okay. It would’ve been difficult all by myself, so I’m glad for the help. I think I’ve got everything I need now.”

Magnus chuckled, “Alright, alright, I can tell you’re anxious for us to leave so you can go explore the place on your own.”

“Oh, that not it—,” Angus started to defend before being cut off by the human.

“I’d be just as excited as you are! Don’t worry, kiddo. We’ll get out of your hair,” Magnus placated smoothly. Angus looked a tad bashful, but also thankful.

“We can visit you again soon, Angus,” Taako added. “Don’t think you’ll be rid of us that easily.”

“Of course not, sir,” Angus said, smiling gratefully.

Magnus started to walk towards the door, grabbing Taako by the arm on his way. The elf allowed himself to be led away, calling back to Angus as he went, “We’re so proud of you, kid! You’re going to be amazing!”

Angus was still chuckling as the door closed behind the two men.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thats the end! a short epilogue should be up soon


	8. Epilogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Taako and Magnus have a chat.

Magnus walked in step with Taako as they crossed the campus, his long strides relaxed in comparison to the elf’s shorter, quicker ones. He glanced over at the slighter man every few moments, trying to decide if it was a good idea talk to his friend about the issues he knew Taako was dealing with. The brash fighter rarely hesitated, but in this instance he knew that misspeaking could lead to an unwanted rift. A few long minutes had gone by before Magnus decided to risk it, on the chance that he could offer some support to his friend.

“Hey, so, I just wanted to say that I’m really glad that you’re opening yourself up again, Taako,” he started hesitantly, noticing Taako’s ears pinning back and an uncomfortable crease forming in his brow. Averting his eyes, he pushed on, “You were alone for a really long time, and I know some terrible shit happened to you, but you aren’t alone anymore. You’ve got your whole family back and it’s bigger than ever now.” Magnus still wasn’t looking directly at Taako, which the elf appreciated. “We’re all here for you and we want you to be happy.”

“Yeah, my dude, I know that,” the wizard nodded, his voice soft, and a bit raspy. “And, uh, thanks for saying that, I guess.” It looked like it pained him to speak the words, “I’m really trying for you guys, but it feels almost impossible.”

At that, Magnus turned to Taako fully and stepped forward, arms coming around his friend before Taako could think about how to avoid the hug. The elf was rigid as marble at the contact, but soon became relaxed. Magnus held Taako close for a moment before murmuring, “You know, we’re kinda professionals of doing impossible shit at this point.”

A sudden laugh shook Taako’s shoulders. He buried his face in Magnus’s chest but the snorts and giggles still escaped. The laughter went on for a while, Magnus chuckling along with him. When it died down, Taako pulled away enough to wipe at his teary eyes, but not so far that he broke from Magnus’ hold. Although the laughter was gone, the smile on the wizard’s face remained. “Thanks, Maggie,” he mumbled, just loud enough for Magnus to hear. “I really needed that.”

“Anytime, buddy,” Magnus promised.

“I’m gonna miss that kid,” Taako admitted softly, nestled back into Magnus’ soft chest.

“I know,” Magnus rumbled into Taako’s hair. “I’ll miss him too.”

“We’re gonna steal him away on the weekends to make sure he’s not studying too hard, right?” Taako asked slyly, glancing up at Magnus’ face.

The fighter rolled his eyes but replied diplomatically, “Maybe every other weekend.”

With a dramatic sigh, Taako pushed away from the larger man and began sashaying away. “Alright Maggie, let’s get out of here, then. Time won’t pass if we’re just standing around.”

“That’s not how time works.”

“Whatever.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hope yall enjoyed!


End file.
